The Power of Ten – Habitat for Humanity in Puerto Angel, Mexico

Ten represents the number of days for which eighteen members proudly served on a Global Village team. This past January, a group of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (based in Minneapolis, MN) supporters traveled to Puerto Ángel, México; an ocean-side fishing village in the state of Oaxaca.

The eighteen volunteers excitedly absorbed their host culture, witnessed magnificent sites, and met fascinating people. More importantly, the group worked alongside Marcelo, a lively homebuyer, and his community to build a home for his wife, Rosalena, and two young sons, Emanuel and Marcel. It was a gratifying trip—ten days the team will always remember.

The number ten is also meaningful to Marcelo.

A former soccer prodigy himself, “Maca” has the utmost respect for these digits, worn by Pelé and Maradona—a pair of the game’s legends. The exuberant 22-year-old actually dons the diez while playing for Pollería Dagmar; one of the local squads that battle on weekday afternoons.

But despite Marcelo’s love of the sport, ten means much more to him outside of soccer. In fact, Habitat for Humanity in Oaxaca has shown him the true power of ten.

The Habitat program at the Oaxaca affiliate creates a built-in community. The program requires a group of ten families to work together to construct ten homes. This design is unique because homebuyers continue their sweat equity until the ten dwellings are completed, and all ten families can only occupy their new homes after the tenth home is built. Because the families look out for each other and work together while their houses are going up, their relationships will last long after the final brick is laid.

Marcelo almost came to the U.S. two years ago. Like countless countrymen before him, he contemplated the move to better provide for his family.

Maca wished to stay with his family in Puerto Ángel, and soon after was accepted into Habitat’s program. His family was now a part of a much bigger one.

And after our team’s time with Marcelo and his community, we feel like his family is a part of ours, too.